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In 2010, Duke University School of Medicine launched its Primary Care Leadership Track (PCLT) to address the lack of primary care doctors nationally and more effectively offer patient care to populations. Today, according to U.S. News & World Report, Duke University School of Medicine is among the top ten medical schools in the country for primary care education.

William G. Kaelin, Jr., has been named a recipient of the 2016 Albert Lasker Basic Medical Research Award. The Lasker Awards are widely considered among the highest scientific honors and recognize the most outstanding and seminal contributions to biomedical science. Dr. Kaelin received his undergraduate degree from Duke University and his MD from Duke University Medical School.

  The second annual Triangle Health Innovation Challenge took place September 16-18, 2016 at the Trent Semans Center for Health Education at Duke University. The event brought together 159 participants from across the Triangle and beyond to build innovative solutions for problems in health and healthcare.

Michel Bagnat, Ph.D., an associate professor of Cell Biology, has been named an HHMI Faculty Scholar by the Howard Hughes Medical Institute, the Simons Foundation and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. Bagnat, who studies how forces within cells can help determine the shape and size of organs, is one of 84 early-career scientists selected this year because of their potential to make unique contributions to their fields.

Lawrence David, PhD,  Assistant Professor of Molecular Genetics and Microbiology has been named one of Science News "10 Scientists to Watch" because of his extensive research of the microbiome. His lab works to to understand, predict, and manipulate how human microbiota behave over time.   

The Duke Clinical Research Institute (DCRI) has been named the coordinating center as part of a $157-million federal initiative involved in studying how environmental factors affect childhood health. The grant from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) will fund the organizational framework of the Environmental Influences on Child Health Outcomes (ECHO) initiative. The DCRI has been awarded $14.7 million in fiscal year 2016. This award is a seven-year grant with a total value of $119 million.

In August, 28 students graduated from Duke University School of Medicine’s Master of Management in Clinical Informatics (MMCi) program.  Launched in 2010, this one-year program was created to meet a growing need for individuals whose skills span the technology, business and healthcare environments. The degree, comprised of seven business courses and five informatics courses, prepares graduates for careers in the “business of healthcare.” 

Duke Health was named among the first recipients of the IBM Health Corps award, and will be receiving expertise from some of IBM’s top employees to build a communications infrastructure that will help connect members of Durham community health partnerships.

Two Duke University brain researchers who want to solve the long-standing puzzle of human consciousness have been awarded a $1 million grant by the W. M. Keck Foundation. Their study, “Unraveling the Neural Gate to Consciousness,” will pair the neurobiology labs of associate professor Fan Wang and assistant professor Kafui Dzirasa as they attempt to find the specific circuits in the brain that govern the conscious and unconscious states.

    Research Triangle Nobel laureates Paul Modrich and Aziz Sancar are picking up another prize on Thursday, Sept. 22, when they receive the North Carolina Award, the state’s highest honor.